Kids & Family

Now that school is over we are all a little older and a little wiser. Some of us are taller. We have added scars and allergy medications. We have made new friends and developed new talents. Our hairstyles have changed and so have our shoe and clothing sizes.

Our house gets messy, I need my kids to help out, but sometimes (okay, more like most of the time:) ) they just do not want to! Making the mess is one thing, cleaning it up is another! I cannot stand the constant fights I have trying to get them to take some responsibility for their messes. My oldest is 7 and lately her most common opinion is that I am only here in her life to boss her around! I feel strongly that my kids need to learn to work and clean and help out in our home. We are a family, and we are a team. Working together is important. Everyone in the household needs to feel a responsibility for the state of our house. But the question is, how to accomplish this? How do I get my kids to want to help out? How do I get cleaning and tidying the house to not be such a dreadful event?

The sun is out today, totally normal for AZ. But it is not HOT blistering sunshine, just nice and warm and there is such a lovely breeze. I got my girls all signed up for swim season (I love watching them swim, as a family we love the water) we went to the library (another HUGE love of mine) and I have time to sit and blog while my children are so nicely playing with each other.

Today is a good day, a great day, a day worth recording and sharing. Not because anything amazing and out of the ordinary happened, but because it was just, ordinary. An ordinary day of being a mom, running errands, tidying the house and taking care of my family.

I feel peaceful today. I feel centered today. I feel grateful for the life that is mine imperfections and all. As I sat here typing and wondering where to go with this post of happy day feelings. I thought about this blog, and how glad I already am that I started it. Because of this blog my house is already starting to become more me little by little. I don’t know about you, but there have always been so many things I dislike about the spaces in my home. Furniture, decor, paint, etc. But changing them costs money, and even when the changes are cheap they take energy to make happen. So….in the past I have normally just ignored the things I dislike in my home and eventually I started to not see them.

Since I have started blogging it has renewed my energy to make my space more me. I remember once reading somewhere that if we just “fill our space with ONLY things we love then we will love our space”. Totally makes sense right? So I am on a journey, encouraged by you reading this blog, to update and love all the things in my home. Slowly of course! Rome wasn’t built in a day and I am on a budget people. But I so badly want to just walk into my house and have it just feel like me, have it just feel like home. Surround myself only with the things I love, that is my new goal. No more buying, or keeping things that I don’t really like just for the sake of having something to fill up that shelf on the entertainment center! The shelf can stay empty until I find something (that fits in the budget of course:) that speaks to me!

So, in the spirit of loving my home I wanted to share a few things
today on my walk around my house that I truly love and that make my happy. Things that make my happy. I want my whole home to be full of them!

First off of course is my family. Just look at those two girls. So wonderful 80% of the time and not very wonderful 20% of the time. Wouldn’t have it any other way. Except for today we are living in the 80%, aks me later when we are in the 20%!! My answer may have changed {wink}.

I know this is very late as General Conference starts TODAY!!! But I was up late last night looking for resources to help me keep my own kids occupied during conference sessions this weekend, and thought just maybe my findings would be helpful to someone else too!

I know Easter was yesterday, but I just did not get these pictures up in time last night to wish you a Happy Easter on the actual day. Yes, I am a day late, but I still hope everyone had a wonderful day! We sure did. We got to spend the afternoon at my mother in laws with seriously yummy food, and great family. Holidays are such a great time to slow down, eat A LOT, and spend quality time with people you love.